Covid-19: Living on the fringe in a pandemic

Friday, 27 August 2021

Some people are spending level 4 lockdown in their cars.

Spending Covid lockdown cooped up in a small blue hatchback doesn’t faze Alex.

Then again, not much does.

The 73-year-old’s Suzuki Swift, parked up on the fringe of Hamilton’s Frankton precinct, has been his home for the past three years. He likes it that way.

The retired accountant and office worker says he owns two rentals in the city that earn him several thousand dollars a month.

* Covid-19: Demand for food parcels soars in Hamilton as Delta restrictions bite

Hamilton man Alex has been living in his Suziki Swift for the past three years. The level 4 lockdown has been 'slightly boring', he says.

* Pandemic lockdown adds to emergency housing woes

Staying in one of them doesn’t appeal though, even during a pandemic. Living out of a car forces him to be a minimalist.

“When you have a house you gather junk you don’t need. Besides, gardening and taking a lawnmower for a walk every weekend isn’t my idea of fun.”

When the country went into a snap lockdown last week, Alex, who declined to give his last name, says he had no qualms about riding it out in his car. Stressing isn’t in his nature.

Alex spent last year’s level 4 lockdown staying with friends on a farm near Whitianga. This lockdown, he’s choosing to stick it out in his car. He asked that his vehicle not be photographed.

He does, however, miss the tide of commerce that runs in and out of Frankton during a working week.

“I’m a loner, but I always say hello to people when they go past. I miss that. That, and buying a coffee in the morning. I can’t stand instant stuff.”

He also likes to stay informed and has already had his two Covid-19 vaccine shots.

“I look after my health. I don’t listen to any of that anti-vaccine rubbish.”

Behind Alex is parked an empty white sleeper van. It’s owned by a young electrician who, like others, has turned his vehicle into a makeshift home.

Hamilton Christian Nightshelter's Anglesea St address has about 15 men staying there during lockdown.

It’s a scenario that’s repeated across the city at a car park next to Porritt Stadium. Here, about a dozen vehicles are parked up. Most of the occupants don’t give their names but say the car park will be their home until level 4 restrictions are lifted.

Inside a large green campervan, the sort that wouldn’t look out of place at a gypsy fair, rummaging can be heard. A window opens and an inquisitive face appears.

The man inside doesn’t want to talk to a reporter. Covid-19 isn’t his only worry.

“Mate, I’m hiding from a lot of things,” he says, before the window is quickly shut.

A few car parks away, a man named Steven emerges from his ageing two-berth motorhome.

He bought the motorhome three years ago after growing weary of renting in Raglan. Lockdown has brought its stresses, but it’s also highlighted the good side of human nature, the 53-year-old says.

Joanne Turner manages the Hamilton Christian Nightshelter and says even people with jobs can find themselves homeless. (file photo).

“Every now and again a group will come down here and give out food. It shows people still care.”

At the Hamilton Christian Nighshelter on Anglesea St, 15 men have come to wait out lockdown. Eight women are staying at the Hamilton East shelter.

Joanne Turner manages the nightshelter and says each guest is given a chit that allows them to leave for essential trips. It records the time they leave and gives them a set time to return.

The system was introduced during last year’s lockdown and has worked well again this year.

“We’ve had about 12 guests up and leave because they can’t handle that level of restriction. But the ones that have stayed are very compliant,” Turner says.

More than 500 adults and 555 children are estimated to be living in Hamilton's motels, hotels and hostels.

For those living on the streets, lockdown has brought with it a host of uncertainties. Access to end-of-day leftovers dry up when bakeries and cafes stay shut.

Turner says it’s difficult to estimate how many people are homeless in Hamilton. Those living in cars also include the “working poor”, she says.

“They might have a job and have the ability to own their own car but are still susceptible to homelessness. So what you are seeing are vulnerable people who also work.”

Meanwhile, social services groups in Cambridge and Te Awamutu are adapting to help Waipā residents during lockdown.

Cambridge Community House general manager Harriet Dixon says a housing crisis existed before the snap lockdown. Finding new affordable rentals is near impossible in Cambridge.

Some will be forced into emergency accommodation when the alert levels lift.

“…it’s either that or sleep in their car or camp by the river,” Dixon says.

Te Awamutu Anglican Church pastor Julie Guest says the church’s Monday community meals have been suspended under level 4.

“Those meals weren’t just for the homeless but also people who were lonely, a huge range of people. I’m not really sure of the numbers.”

There are people who prefer to live on the street, Guest says.

“Some have been helped into motel accommodation and so are not street-sleeping at the moment.”

In Rotorua, homelessness remains a pressing – if not always visible – issue.

One homeless advocate Stuff spoke to, who asked to remain anonymous, says ahead of the 2020 lockdown, those living on the streets were largely swept up and placed into temporary motel accommodation.

One of the founders of food rescue organisation Rotorua Whakaora, Elmer Peiffer, says he believes there may still be “a couple” of people living on Rotorua’s streets, but suspects most have been placed into emergency accommodation.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick doesn’t believe homelessness is an issue in the city at the moment.

“There are services available to ensure people do not live on the streets and certainly nobody should be living rough during a level 4 lockdown,” Chadwick says.

Social Development Ministry regional commissioner Mike Bryant says ministry staff have not seen a significant increase in demand for emergency housing in Taupō during lockdown.

Case managers are proactively calling clients in emergency housing to complete welfare checks.